Liv Racing finished in the top ten of La Course on Saturday with its two Italians: Soraya Paladin finished seventh, Sofia Bertizzolo came in tenth. On the hilly course in Brittany (108 kilometres between Brest and Landerneau) a sprint with a reduced group brought the decision. Demi Vollering took the victory.
“Our riders did a great job today, we were in control all the time. We were in the three main breakaways of the day: first with Valerie Demey, then with Sofia Bertizzolo and then with Soraya Paladin. Especially with the breakaway with Sofia, we created a perfect situation for ourselves. If that group stays away, there’s a good chance that she has the fastest legs. In the group behind we could wait relatively calmly”, analyses team manager Eric van den Boom.
Just before the last climb of the day (Côte de la Fosse aux Loups) the twelve escapees, including Bertizzolo, were caught. On the slope (3 kilometres with an average gradient of 5.7 percent), eight riders broke away. Soraya Paladin looked sharp and was part of that group. “She gave everything, but a few were simply faster. Then seventh place is the maximum. In the last few hundred metres the pace decreased. Sofia Bertizzolo was very close behind.”
Photo credits: Cor Vos